Postmortem reveals how Esther Wambui, whose body was found in suitcase, died

Esther Wambui, 18, was found murdered on Monday, January 17, 2022. [Standard]

Esther Wambui, whose body was found in a suitcase abandoned at Kimbo in Kiambu County, died of strangulation, a postmortem conducted at the City Mortuary on Friday, January 20 shows.

The autopsy conducted by Pathologist Dr Simon Omuok also indicated that Wambui, 18, was hit in the head with a blunt object.

There was speculation that she might have been raped before being killed. Vaginal swabs were taken for further analysis to establish whether she was sexually abused,

Wambui’s husband, Joseph Ngige, and her father, Samuel Mbugua, were present during the autopsy.

The teenager’s body was, on Monday evening, January 17, found stashed naked in a suitcase, which had been abandoned on the roadside. She had a deep cut in her left breast.

The words bwana ya mtu sumu had been written on her palms, thighs and breast.

Her spouse, Ngige, told police that he escorted Wambui to work at 5am on Monday, and that his subsequent calls to her that day went unanswered. He would, a day later – on Tuesday, January 18 – file a missing person’s report at Juja Police Station.

Wambui worked as a waitress at a hotel in Ruiru, where she received a daily pay of Sh300.

The teenager and her partner were living at Prisons area in Ruiru.

Ngige, 23, works at a mattress-production company in Kiambu County.

Police are yet to arrest any suspect in connection with Wambui’s murder.

Wambui and her spouse met in Nakuru County, where they both hail from. They had been married for eight months.